Although the president has made significant strides through his soft handshake with Raila and relentless inroads by his troops through the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, his incursions have suffered a blow following the demise of Chief of Defence Forces Francis Ogolla.

At the time of his death, General Ogolla was the appointee from the region holding the highest position in Ruto's administration.

In fact, the president and his allies were vocal about Ogolla's appointment as part of a strategy to convince the region that he holds it at the heart of his administration.

The president's situation in Nyanza is compounded further by the stalled projects his administration had hoped to deliver to the region to transform its economy.

They include the construction of Koru Soin dam, the revival of small ports and the construction of a fisheries research centre in Kano which have all stalled.

In his visits to the region, since he was elected in 2022, Ruto has been keen to market political appointments from the region as he rallied Nyanza to back his presidency.

It remains to be seen if he will consider another gallant expert from the region to head a senior position in his government to replace the departed Ogolla.

The strategy he adopted to win over Nyanza is a stark contrast to past presidents who never considered top political appointments from the region. Some of them even sidelined top qualified experts in the military to consider other regions.

Some observers believe the president will have to make another top appointment from the region or help Raila win the African Union Commission chairperson's bid to entrench his support.

They believe the demise of Ogolla has lost a nut of trust in the Kenya Kwanza government for failing to protect one of the country's most important leaders.

Communications specialist Dr Charles Nyambuga thinks Ruto will have to do more to win the confidence of the region.